Method of embossing cylinders for the goffering of films



A. GARY Nov. 27, 1-934.

METHOD OF EMBOSSING CYLINDERS FOR THE GOFFERING OF FILMS Filed Oct. 13, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm llllllf-llll N l iv Q INVENTOR .I ATTORNEY Nov. 27, 1934.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 13, 1930 INVEN OR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 27, 1934- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF EMBOSSING CYLINDERS FOR THE GOFFERING F FEMS Alphonse Gary, Paris, France, assignpr to Keller- Dorian Color-film Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware My invention relates particularly to a method and apparatus for embossing cylinders for the gofiering of films, especially for the production of motion pictures in colors.

The present invention is an improvement over the subject matter of the French Patent No. 627,975, dated December 4, 1925, by means of which the cylinders can be made more cheaply and more perfectly.

In effect, the said French patent proposes to engrave the cylinder with a milling wheel which rolls on the gofiering cylinder and presses a little groove therein. That method is very good but presents the inconveniences which are (1) when the iron of the goffering cylinder is not uniform in hardness, the groove becomes uneven and irregular, (2) the milling wheel being driven by gear wheels, there is a certain amount of play between the teeth thereof and this produces a trembling or vibration which is transmitted to the goffering cylinder, with the consequent production of imperfections in the resulting groove. Both of these kinds of imperfections produce what might be called a riddled effect due to the numerous small depressions found in the cylinder; (3) the milling wheel must be very sharp and it is found that the milling wheel although sharp at the beginning, in producing a, gofiering cylinder, does not remain sharp, and this produces a differently shaped groove at one end of the cylinder than at the other.

According to my present invention, I have avoided all the above inconveniences and disadvantages. I have accordingly adopted an entirely 85 different method, which involves three diiferent operations.

First, I make a small mother wheel.

Second, I make therefrom an intermediate wheel. I

Third, with the intermediate wheel, I make the embossed gofiering cylinder, with which the films are finally goffered or lenticulated.

With this method we can produce goffering cylinders with the goiferage lengthwise of the cylinders, in order to produce therefrom films with a crosswise goflering. This crosswise goffering is described for example in French Patent 655,732, dated October 17, 1927.

While my invention is capable of being carried out in connection with many different embodiments of the machine, by way of example I have shown only certain embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-section, taken on, line 1-1 of Fig. 2, of the machine used in the first operation of making the mother wheel;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cutting tool used in the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2; 80

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the machine used in the second operation of making the intermediate wheel;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the machine used in the third operation of embossing the gofiering cylinder but omitting the weight for producing the pressure on the goflfering cylinder.

6 is an end elevation, partly insection of the machine shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the 7.0 engraved lines at right angles thereto.

As shown in Fig. 1, I have shown a mother wheel 1, preferably made of untempered steel capable of being later tempered, which is supported in two V-shaped supports 2, having-retaining plates 3 over the same, held down by screws 4. One end of the mother wheel is secured fast to a positioning wheel 5 which has its periphery provided with a succession of recesses 6 in which the pointed end 7 of a lever 8, pivoted at 9, is adapted to fit when the wheel 5 is moved by hand from one notch to another.

A spring 10, normally keeps the lever 8 in contact with the wheel 5. These notches or recesses 6 are arranged so that they eve l divide the entire periphery of the wheel 5, and the diameters of the wheel 5, and the mother wheel are so chosen that the periphery of the mother wheel will also be evenly divided by the recesses 11 to be formed therein. For example, when the notches 6 are 1 mm. apart and the diameter of the wheel 5 is 400 and the diameter of the mother wheel 1 is 20 mm. the recesses 11 to be formed therein will be 1/20 mm. apart.

In order to produce the recesses 11 there is provided a cutting tool 12 which is carried in the end of-an arm 13 pivoted at 14 to a main frame 15, which also supports the V-shaped supports 2. A spring 16 normally holds the tool 12 upwardly out of contact with the mother wheel 1. In order to drive the tool 12, preferably made of very hard steel, downwardly to cut the recesses 11, there is provided a reciprocating hammer 17 which is carried in a guiding sleeve 18 which is carried on an upright 19 secured to the main frame 15. This hammer 17, which is quite heavy, is raised by means of a rotating arm 20 which is adapted to be rotated by means of a hand crank 21 pivotally carried in the upright 19. The hammer 17 is allowed to fall once for each of the recesses 11 to be formed the mother wheel, the wheel 5 being turned one notch for each fall of the hammer 1'7 until the entire periphery of the wheel 1 has been provided with.

the recesses as shown in Fig. 4. The mother wheel 1 is then examined with a microscope and if the teeth between the notches 11 thereon are not yet entirely made sharp, the operation is repeated by producing an additional blow from the hammer 17 throughout the periphery of the mother wheel 1, weights 22 of a suitable character and size being maintained on the top of a platform 23 at the top of the hammer, if desired to give the desired depth of cut from the tool 12. Whether or not the weights 22 are used will depend upon the hardness of the metal of the mother wheel 1. When the notches 11 have been made suiliciently deep to produce sharp edges to the intervening teeth produced thereby, the mother wheel 1 is removed and tempered in the usual way by heating, plunging in water, etc.

In carrying out the second operation, the mother wheel 1 is supported, in any desired way, so as to contact with the periphery of an intermediate wheel 24 containing a disc 25 made of untempered steel, capable ofbeing later tempered in the usual way. This disc 25 has a periphery which is slightly curved in any plane passing through the axis of-the wheel 24. This curvature is provided for the reason that as seen hereinafter the intermediate wheel 24 is moved laterally as the cutting of the goifering cylinder progresses. The curvature of the periphery of the disc 25 may, for example, be determined by the formula R=10a where R is the radius of said curvature and dis the thickness of said disc 25, although it is to be understood that many other curvatures may be provided for it, so long as the centre of the disc is farther away from the axis thereof than the side of the disc, which advances first in the forming of the gofl'ering cylinder. This disc 25 is provided with stub shafts 26 and 2'7, which are supported against V-shaped supports 28 and 29, cbnnected together in a manner shown more in detail in Figs. 5'and 6, and supported in turn on any suitable means during the contact of the mother wheel 1 therewith. The mother wheel 1, is supported and turned in any desired way a sufficient length of time until the recesses 25 have been formed deeply enough to form sharp teeth between the same. These teeth are examined from time to time with a microscope and the operation continued until the time when such sharp teeth are formed. Then the wheel 24 is taken out and tempered in the usual way by heating and plunging in water,

' etc.

Thereafter the third operation is proceeded with by removing the wheel 24 and its V-shaped supports to the machine shown in Figures 5 and 6. For this purpose, it will be seen that the base of the supporting means including the supports 28 and 29 has a dove-tailed projection 30 which fits into a rotatable base 31, having teeth 32 on its periphery adapted to mesh with an adjusting worm 33, adapted to be cranked by hand to align the teeth of the wheel 24 with the. goifering cylinder in providing the lines on the latter, as hereinafter described. The worm 33 is pivoted in a swinging frame 34, in which the adjusting wheel 31 is also pivoted. This frame 34 is adapted to be provided with weights 35, which are removable and replaceable at will and the position of which can be changed by moving them along aseries of notches on the arm 34. Furthermore, the arm 34 is pivotally supported at 37 to a sliding frame 38 which is carried on a triangular guide rod 39, supported from a main frame 40 of the machine. A screw 41 is provided in the main frame 40 screwthreaded to the sliding frame 38 and arranged to be turned slowly, in any desired manner.

The weights 35 are provided to apply the intermediate wheel 24 with the desired pressure to the periphery of a goffering cylinder 42, made for example of soft steel, iron or brass which is supported upon pivots 43 and 44 as hereinafter referred to, which are fixed and should not be allowed to turn, as otherwise imperfections in the cylinder 42 would be liable to result. The cylinder 42 is carried tight on a shaft'45 in the ends of which the pivots 43 and 44 above referred to are received. One end of the shaft has an arm 46 provided to receive the end of a pin 47, carrled in a driving wheel 48, which is arranged, for example, so as to rotate the cylinder 240 revolutions a minute. In this way the intermediate wheel 24 is advanced uniformly along the cylinder 42 from one end point to the other end point and then'the reverse to the starting point and these movements from one end to the other of the cylinder are repeated until the examination of the lines 49 in the cylinder 42 shows that the teeth in the cylinder between said lines have become sharp. During these operations of making the cylinder 42, the pressure from the weights 35 is changed as desired, preferably by starting with a small pressure and gradually increasing the same in the successive movements across the cylinder 42. The back and forthmovement of the wheel 24 makes the lines 49 uniform and eliminates any imperfections therein.

By this means the goifering cylinders can be made very accurately and cheaply. In fact, from one mother .wheel 100 intermediate wheels can be made, and from each intermediate wheel 10 comparatively long surface of contact between the recesses 25 and the cylinder 42. The procedure of using an intermediate wheel made from a mother wheel which in turn is made from the original forming tool is important, also because of the fact that the original tool becomes unavoidably slightly duller as the forming of the recesses proceeds and the bottom portions of the recesses are not always uniformly alike but the edges of the teeth between them are uniform, and therefore the bottoms of the recesses in the intermediate wheelarealike and the resulting. edgeslof the teeth in the goifering cylinder are alike, Therefore, I am enabled to obtain much greater perfection of the goifered films produced thereby.

meaaoo intermediate wheel from the right or the left as desired.

While I have described my invention above in detail, I wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing ducing embossing wheel therefrom of larger diameter than the mother wheel having goifering recesses longitudinally and parallel to the axis thereof and then producing a goifering cylinder with goifering ridges of a width greater than the ridges on the mother wheel and intermediate wheel by moving the intermediate wheel rotatably and longitudinally of the goffering cylinder.

2. The method which comprises making a mother wheel having goifering recesses longitudinally and parallel to the axis thereof by a chisel rigidly parallel relative to the mother wheel axis and narrower than the length of the mother wheel making an intermediate impression producing embossing wheel therefrom of larger diameter than the mother wheel having goifering recesses longitudinallyand parallel to the axis thereof, the mother wheel being made from untempered steel by successive impressions from a chisel-shaped tool, and the mother wheel being afterwards tempered and then producing a getfering cylinder with goifering ridges of a width greater than the ridges on the mother wheel and intermediate wheel by moving the intermediate wheel rotatably and longitudinally of the gutfering cylinder.

3. The method which comprises making a mother wheel having goifering recesses longitudinally and parallel to the axis thereof by'a chisel rigidly parallel relative to the mother wheel axis and narrower than thelength of the mother wheel making an intermediate impression producing embossing wheeltherefrom of larger diameter than the mother wheel having goifering recesses longitudnally and parallel to the axis thereof, which has a periphery curved in a plane passing through the axis thereof and then producing a gofiering cylinder with goifering ridges of a width greater than the ridges on the mother wheel and intermediate wheel by moving the intermediate wheel rotatably and longitudinally of the goflering cylinder.

4. The method which comprises making a mother wheel having goffering recesses longitudinally and parallel to the axis thereof by a chisel rigidly parallel relative to the mother wheel axis and narrower than the length of the mother wheel making an intermediate impression producing embossing wheel therefrom of larger diameter than the mother wheel having goffering recesses longitudinally and parallel to the axis thereof, adapted to be moved back andforth over a golfering cylinder and then producing a golfering cylinder with goifering ridges of a width greater than the ridges on the mother wheel and intermediate wheel by moving the intermediate wheel rotatably and longitudinally of the golfering cylinder.

5. The method which comprises making a mother wheel having goflering recesses longitudinally and parallel to the axis thereof by a chisel rigidly parallel relative to the mother wheel axis and narrower than the length of the mother wheel making an intermediate impression producing embossing wheel therefrom of larger diameter than the mother wheel having goffering recesses longitudinally and parallel to the axis thereof, the mother wheel having been made with a chisel-shaped tool by impressions encircling the mother wheel repeatedly with increasing pressure from succeeding operations of the tool and then producing a goffering cylinder with goifering ridges of a width greater than the ridges. on the mother wheel and intermediate wheel by moving the intermediate wheel rotatably and longitudinally of the goifering cylinder.

6. The method which comprises making a 105 mother wheel having goifering recesses longitudinally and parallel to the axis thereof by a chisel rigidly parallel relative to the mother wheel axis and narrower than the length of the mother wheel making an intermediate impression producing embossing wheel therefrom of larger diameterv than the mother wheel having golfering recesses longitudinallyand parallel to the axis thereof, the mother wheel having been made by forming recesses from a chisel-shaped pressure tool until the teeth between the recesses are sharp and then producing a goifering cylinder with goifering ridges of a width greater than the ridges on the mother wheel and intermediate wheel by moving the intermediate wheel rotatably and longitudinally of the goffering cylinder.

7. The process which comprises forming on a mother wheel a uniform set of peripheral ridges by successive blows from a chisel-shaped tool rigidly parallel to the mother wheel axis and narrower than the length of the mother wheel, forming an intermediate wheel of larger diameter than .the mother wheel from the ridges of the latter and then producing a goffering cylinder with gofl'ering ridges of a width greater than the ridges 3 on the mother wheel and intermediate wheel by moving the intermediate wheel rotatably and longitudinally of the goffering cylinder.

ALPHONSE GARY. 5 

